A second-half scoring explosion drove women’s rugby to victory on Friday.
Queen’s topped the upset-minded Trent Excalibur 36-5 on the road, improving their record to an unblemished 3-0.
For the first time this season, the Gaels didn’t hold a halftime lead, with the two teams even at 5-5 after 40 minutes of play. The stalemate continued until the last 17 minutes of the game, when the Gaels exploded for 31 unanswered points, including two tries from second-year winger Caitie Ryan.
“The last 20 minutes were quite good in that we did exactly what we wanted to do, but we waited 60 minutes to get started,” said Gaels head coach Beth Barz, adding she was pleased the Gaels secured all five possible points – four for winning and a bonus point for scoring four tries.
“In terms of our methodology, how we got the five points was not very good,” she said.
The Gaels got on the board first when second-year centre Miranda Seifert broke through Trent’s defence to give Queen’s a 5-0 advantage after 34 minutes of play.
The Excalibur responded right before halftime with a try of their own. By tightening up defensively, Trent didn’t allow Queen’s to score for another 23 minutes after the intermission.
Queen’s finally retook the lead late in the second half by scoring five tries within a 15-minute span. Fourth-year forward Kayla Roote and rookies Maddie Monaghan and Karley Heyman all added tries to go alongside Ryan’s pair, while Bronwyn Corrigan and Emily Martin combined to kick three converts.
“We know that as a team, we can rely on different people every weekend to score,” Barz said. “It’s just a matter of who’s going to step up and be selfless.”
The Gaels will now finish up the regular season with two matches at home, beginning with a Sept. 28 fixture against the Toronto Varsity Blues. Barz is hoping for good student turnout at Nixon Field, with the Gaels aiming to fine-tune their game in preparation for the OUA playoffs.
“Even if you don’t know a lot about rugby, it’s an exciting game because it’s pretty obvious when somebody is doing something right,” Barz said. “It’s a great venue in the heart of the main campus, and we’re going to put on a good show.”
Tags
Barz, Gaels, Trent, Women's rugby
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